Enteral nutrition white paper discusses challenges 

WASHINGTON – AAHomecare has partnered with the Global Enteral Device Supplier Association on a white paper to provide an overview of the enteral nutrition market. 

“Challenges in Enteral Nutrition Access & Management: Safeguarding Life-Sustaining Enteral Nutrition” discusses market challenges that threaten access to EN and the integral role of HME providers in delivering clinically appropriate EN to end users as valued partners in the care continuum. The paper includes findings from a 2023 nationwide study revealing that one in four providers of EN are considering or actively planning to stop providing EN/supplies due to cost pressures.   

“Access to life-sustaining enteral nutrition is a lifeline for countless individuals facing nutritional challenges,” said Ashley Plauché, senior director of brand marketing for AAHomecare. “It is essential for the HME community and payers to partner together to assess the growing barriers to care to safeguard the health and well-being of those who rely on EN and critical services.”     

The paper outlines four key actions that payers can take to ensure continued access to life sustaining EN including: 

1. adjust reimbursement to assure appropriate end user access 
2. expedite prior authorization processing for EN formula 
3. provide regular review and expeditious product additions to approved product lists/formularies, and 
4. decrease excessively burdensome documentation requirements. 

“Home enteral nutrition patients deserve access to the best care and the safest and best medical products available,” said Ben Davis, executive director of the GEDSA. “Too often this access is unnecessarily challenging, as described in the white paper, and more work needs to be done to remove these barriers against patient care.”  

The paper will be used in outreach and education to payers, state programs and legislators to preserve access to EN, supplies and services. 

Access the white paper, flowcharts for oral nutrition and tube feeding/nutrition, and a survey infographic. 

• Read about a recent shortage of enteral nutrition formula that had providers scrambling.